Benito Perez, of Temecula, uses a public charging station for his 2011 Nissan Leaf electric vehicle as he stops for lunch at a McDonald's in Riverside. Much has been done to improve air quality in recent decades, but more work is needed to reduce levels of the Inland area's worst pollutants.

Much has been done to improve air quality in recent decades, but more work is needed to reduce levels of the Inlandâs worst pollutants â" nitrogen oxides, ozone and particulate matter â" that threaten residentsâ health, regulators said.

Federal, state and regional air quality officials have imposed rules to reduce emissions from cars, diesel trucks and buses, refineries, power production, factories and even nail polish and fireplaces. In the coming years, there will be further changes to the cars we drive and the way our communities are laid out to facilitate walking and ease congestion.

One of the key measures by the regionâs air pollution control agency, the South Coast Air Quality Management District, is a residential wood-burning ban when air quality reaches unhealthful levels, spokesman Sam Atwood said.

Harmful fine-particle pollution, known as PM2.5, is released when wood is burned in fireplaces; it is similar to the soot from diesel engines. The âCheck Before You Burnâ program took effect in 2011, but rules will be tightened this fall to further limit when residents can light a fire at home between November and February.

The air district is developing its 2015 air quality management plan for ozone. The driving force behind the document is an ambitious vision for the next 20 years and beyond of low- to no-emission standards for just about everything, Atwood said.

Among other efforts:

--The air district is helping develop a one-mile demonstration project for zero-emission truck lanes in the Port of Long Beach and along Interstate 710. In the port, trucks would run on overhead electric catenary lines, like those used to power light-rail trains; they would burn compressed natural gas while on the road.

Bruce MacRae, vice president of government affairs for UPS, introduces the company's new fleet of electric delivery trucks in July. A 2010 study has found that powering cars with electricity instead of gasoline would reduce smog-forming volatile organic compounds by 93 percent and nitrogen oxides by 31 percent.

--Expect a switch from gasoline-powered cars and trucks to more electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. A 2010 study by the U.S. Department of Energyâs Pacific Northwest National Laboratory found that powering cars with electricity instead of gasoline would reduce smog-forming volatile organic compounds by 93 percent and nitrogen oxides by 31 percent.

--The future will bring increased generation of power from renewable sources such as solar and wind to reduce the burning of fossil fuels in energy production that contribute to emissions of nitrous oxides, ozone and fine particles.

Under state law, utilities are required to have 20 percent of their retail sales from renewable sources by the end of this year, 25 percent by the end of 2016 and 33 percent by the end of 2020.

--In the works is a change in land-use planning that minimizes residentsâ exposure to road and industrial pollution through thoughtful placement of schools, homes and industry.

The Southern California Association of Governments, the policy and planning organization for six counties and 191 cities, is implementing Senate Bill 375, which encourages âmore compact, complete and efficientâ communities to reduce driving.

âReducing air pollution in the region takes a coordinated effort,â said Hasan Ikhrata, the associationâs executive director. âTechnology like zero-emission cars and solar panels are important. But we also need to look at ways to reduce congestion and give people more transportation choices. This involves locating housing closer to employment centers or transit centers, or investing in infrastructure to make sure that the capacity can meet the demand.â

In the meantime, individuals can take steps to protect themselves from the effects of air pollution, such as eating healthy foods and not living or exercising near busy roadways, experts said.

In a study last year, doctors at the Imperial College of London found that vitamin C, an antioxidant, can neutralize free radicals that contribute to cancer and respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder.

Dr. Lilian Calderon-Garciduenas, an environmental toxicology professor at the University of Montana, has studied children living in highly polluted areas. She found inflammation of the brain, similar to the process involved in developing Alzheimerâs and Parkinsonâs diseases. The children also exhibited cognitive deficits and structural brain abnormalities and had respiratory and cardiovascular damage.

To combat such problems, Calderon-Garciduenas recommends providing children with good quality food, reading and physical exercise to stimulate their brains, and to reduce their exposure to passive activities such as video games.

Elsewhere, she had recommended that people exposed to pollution consume foods high in anti-oxidants, such as broccoli and dark chocolate, she said in an interview with Montana Public Radio.

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